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Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research

Date Submitted: Jan 2, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Jan 2, 2025 - Feb 27, 2025
Date Accepted: Apr 15, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)

The final, peer-reviewed published version of this preprint can be found here:

The Impact of Internet Hospital Follow-Up on the Quality of Life of Patients With Epilepsy: Randomized Controlled Trial

Liu TT, Zhang M, Wen Zhang Y, Liang L, Huang XY, Gan X, Mou L, Liu CS, Zhang MM, Li HY, Liu J

The Impact of Internet Hospital Follow-Up on the Quality of Life of Patients With Epilepsy: Randomized Controlled Trial

J Med Internet Res 2025;27:e70665

DOI: 10.2196/70665

PMID: 40418570

PMCID: 12149770

Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.

The Impact of Internet Hospital follow-up on the quality of life of patients with epilepsy

  • Ting Ting Liu; 
  • Min Zhang; 
  • Yu Wen Zhang; 
  • Lu Liang; 
  • Xin Yue Huang; 
  • Xia Gan; 
  • Lan Mou; 
  • Chen Shi Liu; 
  • Ming Ming Zhang; 
  • Hong Ying Li; 
  • Jie Liu

ABSTRACT

Background:

NONE

Objective:

This study evaluates differences in quality of life, anxiety, and depression between internet hospital follow-up and traditional outpatient follow-up for patients with epilepsy (PWE). It also explores innovative chronic disease management models for PWE.

Methods:

Eligible patients diagnosed with epilepsy were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Data were collected on demographics, clinical characteristics, and scores from the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E). The control group received traditional outpatient follow-up, while the intervention group was managed via the internet hospital. Changes in quality of life, anxiety, and depression were assessed using the same scales after six months.

Results:

The study included 100 control patients and 101 in the intervention group. Internet hospital follow-up significantly improved overall QOLIE-31 scores, anxiety, and depression (P < 0.05). Similarly, outpatient follow-up improved these assessment items, except for life satisfaction, which showed no significant change (P < 0.05). Notably, patients with epilepsy managed via internet hospital follow-up showed significantly greater improvements in overall QOLIE-31 scores, other dimensional scores (excluding cognitive and social functions), and depression improvement rates compared to those under outpatient follow-up (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

Long-term follow-up through internet hospitals effectively improves the quality of life and reduces anxiety and depression in patients with epilepsy. Internet hospital management is recommended as a feasible approach for chronic epilepsy care in clinical practice.


 Citation

Please cite as:

Liu TT, Zhang M, Wen Zhang Y, Liang L, Huang XY, Gan X, Mou L, Liu CS, Zhang MM, Li HY, Liu J

The Impact of Internet Hospital Follow-Up on the Quality of Life of Patients With Epilepsy: Randomized Controlled Trial

J Med Internet Res 2025;27:e70665

DOI: 10.2196/70665

PMID: 40418570

PMCID: 12149770

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